T.O.: We won’t fall into a trap

IRVING – Wade Phillips has first-hand knowledge of how easy it is for a team off to a hot start to let its guard down against a losing team.

Phillips’ Buffalo Bills were 0-3 when they knocked off the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers in 1998. The upset sparked a five-game winning streak that led to a wild-card berth for the Bills, the last team to advance to the playoffs after an 0-3 start.

Phillips relayed all of the above to the Cowboys, but at least one high-profile team leader says it wasn’t necessary.

Terrell Owens says there’s no way the undefeated Cowboys will allow the 0-3 St. Louis Rams to score an upset Sunday at Texas Stadium.

“We’re going to take care of business,” Owens said. “We’re not going to underestimate them. We’re not going to overestimate them. We’re going to take care of whoever’s on the schedule at that time. We can’t look any further than that.”

Still, Cowboys fans have reason to worry, one being the inconsistent, undisciplined play of left tackle Flozell Adams, who had three penalties last week in Chicago.

Phillips, as usual, defended Adams, saying the line needs time to get used to Tony Romo’s cadence and is working on hard counts in practice to cut down on pre-snap movement.

“It’s really not like you’ve had a quarterback here for a long time that has the same cadence all the time, and when he goes hard count you know it’s coming and those kinds of things,” Phillips said of Romo, who has only 13 regular-season starts. “It’s not as easy to anticipate until you hear him a thousand times, and that”s why you practice and that’s why you keep doing those things.”

Phillips failed to point out that Adams has always been penalty prone, no matter who the quarterback is or how often he’s worked with him.

But even if Adams has some costly penalties, the Cowboys should win this one big. St. Louis is just too banged up, and Dallas desperately wants to face New England in three weeks with a 5-0 record. The Cowboys can’t accomplish that goal without victories over the winless